Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan may team up on immigration

Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Paul Ryan, two possible contenders for the GOP presidential nomination, may be partners when it comes to one of the biggest wedge issues for the Republican Party: immigration.

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The 41-year-old Florida senator and the 42-year-old Wisconsin congressman have quietly been discussing whether they can team up on the hot-button issue in the new Congress. If they do partner, not only would it neutralize the issue in a possible presidential primary fight, it would be a major sign that the next generation of Republican leaders are eager to move past the raw immigration politics that have sent Latino voters in droves to the Democratic Party.

Rubio is working on several bills with both Democrats and Republicans that he hopes to introduce in the coming weeks. Among them: a proposal with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) dealing with migrant and seasonal agricultural workers; a measure with Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to overhaul the visa process for high-skilled immigrants; and Rubio’s alternative to the DREAM Act to help certain undocumented young people achieve a permanent legal status.

It’s unclear which of these approaches Ryan may ultimately back, but the GOP’s 2012 vice presidential candidate gave a resounding endorsement to Rubio’s overall efforts in a statement earlier this week. And behind the scenes, the two men are quietly seeing whether they can forge a partnership rarely seen among top-level prospective political rivals from the same party.

Rubio and Ryan met face to face in December and discussed several legislative issues, including immigration reform. Since then, their staffs and the two men have traded various ideas, aides to both men said Tuesday.

In an interview, Rubio acknowledged having conversations with Ryan and said the Wisconsin Republican will be an “indispensable player at the right time” over immigration. “We have a great working relationship, and I think he can be a key player in anything we do moving forward,” Rubio said.

Ryan, better known on fiscal issues as chairman of the House Budget Committee, declined to be interviewed for this story and has been vague on his preferred approaches on immigration policy. When Ryan spoke about the issue on the campaign trail, it was mostly to blame Obama for not delivering on a first-term promise.

A Ryan aide said Tuesday the congressman “supports the principles outlined by Sen. Rubio and will continue to work with Sen. Rubio and members on both sides of the aisle to fix our broken immigration system.” On his Facebook page Monday, Ryan said that he backs the broad tenants Rubio has identified: “modernization of our immigration laws; stronger security to curb illegal immigration; and respect for the rule of law in addressing the complex challenge of the undocumented population.”